Two Years
by August08
Summary: Fourteen years after donning the Grim Reaper's cloak, Raph faces his greatest challenge as the new Death. When Casey becomes terminally ill, Raph's duties as the Reaper is challenged by his friendship with Casey. And when Casey bargains for more time, Raph must make a tough decision: To give his friend more time or to make his suffering short. Takes place after Immortality's Curse.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: This story was inspired by Afterlife and So Far Away by Avenged Sevenfold. It takes place fourteen years after the events of Immortality's Curse. I warn you, that there will be a character death in this story.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, only the plot

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><p>It was something he would never get used to, the sound of anguished wailing. He knew it was what he signed up for when he donned the Reaper's cloak; but it hit him hard everytime someone found out he had taken a loved one. Some were easier to take than others; people who had been sick for years and were finally ready for him to take them to the other side. But then there were the sudden ones: car accidents, overdoses, heart attacks; ones no one saw coming.<p>

Though, through all the souls he had reaped, he had always maintained a level of professional distance. He never got emotionally involved. He was Death, after all. No matter who it was, if their time had come he guided them into the afterlife. Some were happy to see him, others not so much. Some tried to bargain for more time and sometimes he would grant it, but it never lasted.

Thanks to his new found powers, he always knew when someone got sick or was about to die. He rarely spent any time in the realm of the dead, as much as he wanted to see his brothers, but he had a job to do. People needed guiding and he had to help them.

So, why was it, even with his knowledge of who was going to die, did it come as such a surprise when he saw the death of his best friend?

"Lord Death?" someone asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Are you all right?"

Raphael turned to see Leonardo standing behind him. The wind swept over his body, curling its icy fingers around his exposed arms; chilling him. It still fascinated him that he felt everything ten times more than when he was mortal.

"I'm fine, Leo," Raphael replied, his voice stiff.

Leonardo walked across the rooftop to stand a few feet away, keeping his distance out of respect. "If I may speak freely?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. "I'm not a drill sergeant, Leo. You don't have to talk so formally to me," he said. "I'm still your brother."

"I'm just a spirit," Leonardo pointed out. "You're the master of death."

"So?" Raphael asked.

"It's disrespectful to call you by name," Leonardo said.

Raphael ran a hand over his face and sighed. Leonardo would still be Leonardo, dead or alive. "What do you want?" Raphael asked.

"We're worried," Leonardo replied. "The whole realm has noticed how distant you've become. What's troubling you so much?"

Raphael looked down at the scythe in his hand. The red and black blade gleamed in the moonlight, giving it a blood stained look.

"It's Casey," Raphael answered.

"What about Casey?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael tapped the tip of the scythe against the wall. He looked down at the traffic far below. Over the last fourteen years he had prided himself on the fact that he never got emotionally involved with a soul that needed reaping. But, this wasn't just any soul; this was Casey Jones, his best friend. How could he _not_ get emotionally involved?

Raphael pulled at the clasp of the cloak as he debated whether to tell his brother or not. He heard Leonardo shift on his feet. He needed his brother's council, even though he knew what Leonardo would say.

"I have to reap his soul someday," Raphael said.

"Casey?" Leonardo asked in confusion. "You have to reap Casey?"

Raphael nodded. "I don't know what to do, Leo. I've had no trouble with others, but this..." He shook his head. "This is different."

"How is it different?" Leonardo asked. "Yes, it's Casey, but he still needs to be guided to the afterlife. Even our friends in this world have to pass on."

Raphael couldn't help the humorless smile that crept across his face. "I just never thought I'd be the one that helped him to the other side," he said. "To be the one who robs April and Shadow of a husband and father."

"Raph," Leonardo said firmly, sounding like his old self. "There's no way out of it. If Casey's going to be joining us then you know what you have to do. You're the Reaper now. It's a heavy burden to bear, but you took a vow when you put on that cloak."

"I know," Raphael replied. He sighed. "Still doesn't make it any easier."

Leonardo walked over and sat down on the ledge next to his brother. "I can only imagine the pressure you're feeling."

"It's no different than you bein' leader when we were alive," Raphael told him.

"Only you're the leader of an entire realm of souls," Leonardo put in. "I was just the leader of three."

Raphael shrugged, the cloak suddenly feeling extremely heavy. Leonardo looked down at the street far below, watching the cars drive by.

"Do you know what you'll reap Casey's soul from?" he asked.

Raphael swallowed thickly and shifted uncomfortably. Leonardo glanced up at him expectantly.

"What is it, Raph?"

"Cancer," Raphael answered.

Leonardo looked at his brother in horror. "Casey has cancer?" he whispered.

Raphael nodded in confirmation. "Now, you see my problem."

Leonardo looked away, not quite believing what he was hearing. How could such a healthy man have one of the deadliest diseases known to mankind?

"We're going to cross paths at some point," Raphael said. "He's going to bargain for more time. But, if I do give it to him, how much time do I give him? And maybe...if I give him enough time...he could beat this. People have beaten cancer, why can't Casey?"

"All depends on how he responds to the treatments, I guess," Leonardo told him.

Raphael sighed again. "This feels like a bad dream," he commented. "I can only imagine how April and Casey are going to take the news when they find out."

"You mean, they don't know, yet?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael shook his head. "They don't have a clue." He felt his eyes begin to burn. His breath hitched, catching in his throat and almost choking him. "This is not how I wanted to meet Casey again."

"Don't tell him that it's you," Leonardo advised.

"He's gonna know," Raphael said, looking over at his brother. "He's not the clueless bonehead we used to know when we were teenagers. He's grown up...a lot."

Leonardo took a breath and slowly let it out. "I'm sorry, Raph. Truly, I am. To have someone's life in the palm of your hand..." He trailed off.

"It's not a good feeling," Raphael said.

The brothers fell silent, neither one wanting to say anything. The weight of the discussion hung heavily in the air. Raphael pulled at the cloak's clasp. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to rip the cloak off and give the responsiblity of reaping souls to someone else. But, this is what Raphael had promised the former Reaper, that he would take the dying Reaper's place as the new Death.

"I don't want to do it," Raphael spoke softly. "I don't want to reap Casey's soul."

"Maybe you won't have to," Leonardo said hopefully. "Maybe he'll beat it."

"Yeah," Raphael replied quietly. "Here's hoping."

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><p>As the days went by, Raphael kept an eye on Casey. As the days passed, Casey began to grow more and more sickly, until finally April took him to the hospital. Raphael watched through the walls as Casey under went several tests. If his heart was still beating, he was sure that it would be pounding out of his chest when his friends sat down across from the doctor to find out the test results.<p>

Raphael knew what was coming, but it didn't make things any easier when April broke down after hearing the bad news. Casey pulled her into his arms and she cried into his chest. Raphael turned and disappeared through a portal and reappeared in the lair. Everything was just as he had left it all those years ago. April and Casey must have been keeping it in half decent shape over the years.

He walked through the underground dwelling, re-exploring the rooms with new eyes. It was strange seeing his old home after so long. It felt like only yesterday that Splinter was showing it to him and his brothers for the first time. Raphael walked downstairs and headed for the TV area when he heard the elevator doors open. He froze behind the couch, seeing a familiar reflection in the TV screens. Raphael swallowed nervously as Casey stepped into the lair.

Casey froze in mid-step when he saw the hooded figure in front of him. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Raphael kept his back turned to his friend. He opened his mouth to answer, but fear silenced him.

"Who are you?" Casey asked again, this time a bit more fearful as if he already knew the answer.

Raphael forced himself to speak. "You know who I am," he answered.

"Raph?" Casey asked, his voice shaking a bit. "Dude, is that you?"

Raphael turned around to face his friend. He pushed back the hood of the cloak, letting it fall against his back. Casey stared at him in shock.

"Dude...what happened to you?" he whispered. "You're alive?"

Raphael looked down at the floor. "I guess after disappearing for fourteen years you could only assume that I was dead," he said. "And in a way I am...kinda."

Casey frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Raphael glanced up. "You know what I mean," he said.

Casey began shaking his head. "No. No, it's not possible," he said in denial.

"You knew I would be here. How else would you know to come here?" Raphael asked. "I've been gone for fourteen years, Casey. The others are dead. There was no reason for you come down here."

Casey shook his head. "You're not the Grim Reaper, Raph," he said strongly. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it or not, it doesn't make it any less true," Raphael told him. "What other reason would I have for disappearing?"

"I don't know," Casey replied. "Mourning?"

Raphael's eyes became sad and he sighed. "Why are you here, Case?" he asked.

Casey swallowed thickly. He was staring down the barrel of his own mortality. Raphael saw in his friend's eyes that Casey knew the truth. But, how do you accept that your best friend now held your life in their hand?

"I guess this is where I start to bargain," Casey finally answered.

Raphael slowly nodded. "I guess it is," he said quietly. "But, Case, I don't think that-"

"You gotta give me more time," Casey cut in, taking a step forward.

"Casey," Raphael tried again.

"Two years," Casey said, stepping closer to his friend. "That's all I'm askin' for. Two years so that I can see Shadow's sixteenth birthday."

Raphael grimaced and looked away. "Two years is a long time, Casey," he said as images began flashing across his vision. "Do you know what'll happen to you in that time?"

"I know the risks," Casey told him. He gripped Raphael's shoulders. "But, please. I'm beggin' you, here. Just long enough to see Shadow reach sixteen."

"Do you really want your daughter to see you deteriorate?" Raphael asked, meeting Casey's gaze. "You're my best friend, Casey. You're like a brother to me. I can't watch you suffer...not like that."

"Sometimes you have to suffer in order to get better," Casey replied.

Raphael smiled sadly. "You're not the bonehead I used to know anymore," he said. He nodded. "Alright...if this is what you want."

Casey let out a strained breath. "Thank you, Raph," he said.

"Two years from today I'll come back," Raphael stated. "When I do, I will either congratulate you for beating this...or I'll be coming to guide you to the other side."

Casey nodded in agreement. "Fair enough," he said.

Raphael held out his hand. Casey stepped back and took his friend's hand. With one shake, the deal was made. Raphael released Casey's hand and opened up a portal.

"See you in two years, Casey Jones," Raphael said before stepping through the portal.

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><p>Reviews are welcome, flames are not<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Life's been hectic. Between work and family, I can never find the time to sit down and write. But, hopefully now that the holidays are over I'll have more time to write. Enjoy the chapter.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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><p>Casey walked into the apartment, his heart heavy with the conversation he just had with Raphael. It was a weird thing, asking your best friend for more time on earth. Casey made his way into the living room and picked up a family picture that sat on the end table. It was a picture of April and Shadow at a hockey game. April had been a bit apprehensive about going since it was a school night and Shadow had to be up early in the morning, but Shadow had begged and pleaded with her mother and eventually April caved in and the three of them went.<p>

Casey looked up when he heard footsteps shush across the carpet. April was coming out of the master bedroom, wearing her bathrobe and a towel around her head. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, it was clear that she had been crying. Casey placed the picture back down on the table and went over to his wife. He pulled April into a tight embrace. April wrapped her arms around Casey, closed her eyes and allowed fresh tears to fall down her face.

"Everything's going to be okay, April," Casey told her. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Did you find what you were looking for at the lair?" April asked, her voice shaking a bit.

"Yeah," Casey replied. "I did."

April looked up at him. "I've been trying to figure out a way to tell Shadow, but there doesn't seem to be any easy way to do it."

"She's a tough kid, she can handle it," Casey said.

April pulled away, her eyes sad. "This is different, Casey. How are we supposed to tell our daughter that her father only has a short while to live?"

Casey bit his tongue to keep from confessing that he had seen Raphael and had asked for more time. April would think he was losing it, or going through the five stages of grieving in one shot. She had come to the decision after the first two years of Raphael's disappearance that the last of their friends was dead and had moved on. Bringing up that topic of Raphael being Death would just set her off, so Casey kept quiet.

"We just tell her the truth," Casey said. "I know she'll take it hard, but maybe we'll get lucky and this will blow over."

April gave him a studying look. "When did you get so optimistic?" she asked.

Casey shrugged. "People have beaten cancer before," he replied. "I'm just trying to stay positive."

April nodded in understanding. "I guess that's all we can do," she said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Casey caught a glimpse of a blue mask. As April turned to head back into the master bedroom, Casey looked over to see Leonardo standing by the window. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of his dead friend. Leonardo didn't say anything, but turned and passed through the window; heading up the fire escape to the roof. Casey walked over and opened the window, slipping outside and making his way up to the roof. Leonardo was standing a few feet away. Casey felt his guard go up, even though he knew Leonardo wouldn't hurt him.

"It's been a long time, Casey," Leonardo said.

"Yeah," Casey replied. "But, I already talked to Raph about getting more time. Why am I seeing you, now?"

Leonardo turned to face his friend. "I'm not sure. Maybe you need someone who's on the other side to talk to," he suggested.

Casey nodded in agreement. "That makes sense, I guess."

"So, do you have any questions?" Leonardo asked.

Casey thought for a moment. "Yeah. Several," he replied. "The main one being what happened to you guys?"

Leonardo looked uncomfortable with the question. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Mikey being boiled to death in the shower? Donnie beings fried while working on wires that weren't supposed to be live?" Casey said. "And Raph calling us in hysterics 'cause you suddenly got your throat slashed open. Then Raph disappears without a trace for fourteen years and then suddenly materializes again as the Grim Reaper? What's goin' on, Leo? What wouldn't Raph tell me and April all those years ago?"

Leonardo looked down at the ground. "It's not that he _wouldn't_ tell you...it's that he didn't know _how_ to tell you," he replied.

"Tell us what?" Casey asked.

Leonardo looked anywhere other than at Casey. "That at the time he couldn't die."

Casey frowned in confusion. "Couldn't die? What do you mean?" he asked.

Leonardo took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "We were being hunted," he started. "At first we didn't know what was after us until both Mikey and Donnie were dead. When it was just me and Raph, Raph told me that Death was hunting us down; most likely as revenge for pulling Raph back from the brink of death after his ordeal with Travis. From my place in the world of the dead, I watched helplessly as Raph was cursed by Death to forever walk the earth. Unable to die of natural causes, and unable to ask anyone to end his life." Leonardo swallowed thickly as he paused for a brief moment. "Then, ten years later he appeared in Death's domain. Raph tried to attack Death, but Death forced me, Donnie and Mikey to attack Raph. To my shame, I raised my sword against my brother; ready to send him back to the living world. But, Raph had a plan. He tricked me into cutting the chains of immortality that bound him."

Casey grew nervous when Leonardo trailed off. "I get the feeling Raph did something stupid," he said.

Leonardo nodded. "He shattered Death's scythe, the vessel of the Grim Reaper's power. The realm of the dead began to crumble as the Reaper began to fade. To save the realm and all the souls in it, Raph donned the Reaper's cloak and became the new Death."

Casey fell silent for a moment. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," he said. "I know it should, but at the same time it doesn't. I always knew that Raph would take on the devil himself if it meant saving you three from harm."

Leonardo nodded again. "He's done a good job taking on the Reaper's responsibility. He hasn't allowed himself to get emotionally involved with souls he needs to reap, always keeping a professional distance...until now."

"Yeah," Casey said. "I got that when I was talking to him earlier."

Leonardo swallowed thickly. "As a spirit...as his _brother_...I'm afraid this deal you two have made is going to change the way he does his job."

"All I asked for is two years, Leo," Casey pointed out. "I'm sure in the time Raph's been the Reaper he's had lots of people bargain for a lot more time than that."

"He hates the thought of being the one to take you away from April and Shadow," Leonardo said. "It's killing him all over again."

"What do you want me to do, Leo?" Casey asked, his temper flaring. "Am I not allowed to see my daughter's sixteenth birthday? To not see her become a woman? To see her get married and have kids? Am I not allowed to become a grandparent and see my grandchildren grow up?"

Leonardo remained silent. He knew Casey had a right to be angry. Leonardo lowered his gaze to the ground again. "You are," he said. "I'm sorry."

Casey ran a hand over his face and sighed. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't be taking this out on you," Jones apologized.

Down below, there was the sound of a bus pulling up. Voices drifted up and Casey recognized Shadow's voice. He sighed again.

"Now, I have to tell Shadow the bad news," Casey said.

"It'll be hard. But, you'll all pull through," Leonardo told him.

"Yeah," Casey said. "Here's hoping."

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><p>Reviews are welcome, flames are not<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. Your support is awesome!

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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><p>Michelangelo had never seen his brother look so torn as he did at that moment. Raphael sat on the ledge of a roof across from April and Casey's apartment, watching his friends and their daughter eat supper. Earlier in the week, Casey and April had broken the news to Shadow about Casey having cancer. She took it as well as any fourteen-year-old would take that kind of news; by locking herself in her room and crying her eyes out until she had no tears left to shed. Casey had started treatment and it was clear it was taking a lot out of him. It was also taking a lot out of Raphael watching his friend suffer. If it was still beating, Michelangelo was sure his heart would break from seeing his brother in such a conflicted state.<p>

"Mikey? What are you doing out here?"

Michelangelo turned to see Donatello materialize behind him. "Keeping an eye on Raph," he replied.

Donatello walked up beside his brother and followed his gaze to where Raphael was sitting a ways away. The Reaper was hunched over, leaning on his scythe. The hood of his cloak was down and his head was bowed. Donatello sighed.

"There's nothing we can do, Mikey," he said.

"Maybe there's something we _can_ do," Michelangelo said, hopefully.

Donatello looked at his brother. "Like what?" he asked.

"Talk Casey out of the deal?" Michelangelo offered.

Donatello looked horrified. "You don't go back on a deal...especially with _Death_," he said in a hushed voice.

"But, he's Raph," Michelangelo stated, confused. "He won't do anything bad."

Donatello took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Mikey, Raph's the new Death. This is his burden to bear, not ours. We're just spirits in his realm, we have no power, no authority."

"Doesn't mean we can't try to help," Michelangelo pointed out.

"Casey knew what he was getting into when he made that deal with Raph," Donatello told his brother. "It's not our place to say what he can and can't do."

Michelangelo looked down at the ground. "I just hate seeing Raphie like this," he said.

"I know," Donatello said. "Me too."

"You two know I can hear every word you're saying, right?" Raphael called over his shoulder.

The brothers winced. "Sorry," they apologized.

Raphael disappeared from his perch and reappeared behind them. "Why so interested in the matters of death, Mikey?" he asked.

"You heard everything we were saying, you know why I'm interested," Michelangelo said.

"A deal's a deal, Mike," Raphael told him. "No matter how much you want it to be different, once a deal's made neither party can back out until the deal has come to a close."

"Who made that rule?" Michelangelo asked stubbornly.

"I did, Mikey," Raphael answered simply.

Michelangelo looked up at his brother. "Not the old you?" he asked.

Raphael glanced away. "When I put this cloak on I received all the memories from every incarnation of Death since the beginning of time. I took on their existence, their experiences. Their hurt, anger, pain, sorrow..." He trailed off for a moment. "But, throughout history, people have been trying to cheat Death. And, quite frankly, I'm tired of it. If people want more time, all they need do is ask. Some people don't want it, but others do; and it's those ones that the rule of neither party can back out of a deal once it's made is for."

"But, you're letting people suffer," Michelangelo said.

"It's not our place to question Death, Mikey," Donatello scolded him.

"I may be Death, but I'm still your brother, Don," Raphael told him. "Question me all you want, it helps keep me grounded."

Donatello looked at his brother. "Like you used to do with Leo," he said.

Raphael smiled lightly. "In a manner of speaking." He held up his hand and a portal opened up. "You two head back. There's some business I have to take care of."

At that moment, sirens sounded somewhere in the city. Donatello and Michelangelo looked around for the source of the sound before looking at their brother.

"Someone will be joining you shortly," Raphael said.

The younger siblings stepped through the portal back into the realm of the dead. Raphael closed the portal behind them. With one last look at his friends, Raphael disappeared, heading towards the call of a soul that needed to be reaped.

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><p>Sorry the chapter's so short. I've been under the weather for the last little while and haven't been able to concentrate on anything.<p>

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


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